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Vasey grass, Vasey's grass

Wright's paspalum

Habit Plants perennial; cespitose, with a knotty base composed of very short (less than 1 cm) rhizomes. Plants perennial; aquatic to semi-aquatic, conspicuously rhizomatous or stoloniferous.
Culms

50-220 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous or pubescent.

80-150 cm, erect;

nodes glabrous.

Sheaths

glabrous or pubescent;

ligules 1-4(7.7) mm;

blades 12-60 cm long, 2-12 mm wide, flat, mostly glabrous, a few long hairs near the base of the adaxial surface.

glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

ligules 1-3 mm;

blades to 35 cm long, 2-7 mm wide, flat, glabrous above, pubescent below, especially basally.

Panicles

terminal, with (4)10-30 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 1.2-11.5 cm, divergent;

branch axes 0.5-1.1 mm wide, winged, glabrous, margins scabrous, terminating in a spikelet.

terminal, with 5-8 racemosely arranged branches;

branches 3.5-11 cm, divergent to erect;

branch axes 0.6-1.1 mm wide, glabrous, terminating in a spikelet.

Spikelets

1.8-2.8 mm long, 1.1-1.5 mm wide, paired, appressed to the branch axes, elliptic to slightly obovate, stramineous (rarely purple).

2.2-2.7 mm long, 1-1.4 mm wide, paired, appressed to or divergent from the branch axes, elliptic, glabrous, light brown.

Caryopses

1.2-1.7 mm, white.

Lower

glumes absent;

upper glumes and lower lemmas 3-veined, margins pilose;

upper florets stramineous.

glumes absent;

upper glumes glabrous, 3-veined;

lower lemmas glabrous, 5-veined;

upper florets glossy chestnut brown.

2n

= 40.

= unknown.

Paspalum urvillei

Paspalum wrightii

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; HI; PR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Paspalum urvillei has been introduced to the United States from South America. In the Flora region it grows in disturbed, moist to wet areas, primarily in the southeastern United States.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

The range of Paspalum wrightii extends from Cuba and Campeche, Mexico, to Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina. It is now established in the Flora region, growing along wet, roadside ditches, primarily on the Gulf coast of Texas.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 25. FNA vol. 25.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Paspalum Poaceae > subfam. Panicoideae > tribe Paniceae > Paspalum
Sibling taxa
P. acuminatum, P. almum, P. bifidum, P. blodgettii, P. boscianum, P. caespitosum, P. conjugatum, P. conspersum, P. convexum, P. coryphaeum, P. dilatatum, P. dissectum, P. distichum, P. fimbriatum, P. floridanum, P. hartwegianum, P. intermedium, P. laeve, P. langei, P. laxum, P. lividum, P. malacophyllum, P. minus, P. modestum, P. monostachyum, P. nicorae, P. notatum, P. paniculatum, P. pleostachyum, P. plicatulum, P. praecox, P. pubiflorum, P. quadrifarium, P. racemosum, P. repens, P. scrobiculatum, P. setaceum, P. unispicatum, P. vaginatum, P. virgatum, P. virletii, P. wrightii
P. acuminatum, P. almum, P. bifidum, P. blodgettii, P. boscianum, P. caespitosum, P. conjugatum, P. conspersum, P. convexum, P. coryphaeum, P. dilatatum, P. dissectum, P. distichum, P. fimbriatum, P. floridanum, P. hartwegianum, P. intermedium, P. laeve, P. langei, P. laxum, P. lividum, P. malacophyllum, P. minus, P. modestum, P. monostachyum, P. nicorae, P. notatum, P. paniculatum, P. pleostachyum, P. plicatulum, P. praecox, P. pubiflorum, P. quadrifarium, P. racemosum, P. repens, P. scrobiculatum, P. setaceum, P. unispicatum, P. urvillei, P. vaginatum, P. virgatum, P. virletii
Name authority Steud. Hitchc. & Chase
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